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Light in the Dark
Silence. She found that here, in the lower mountain overlooking the town. It was part of her training officially, but truthfully, she came here to escape that place below. For a little while anyway; too many rumors, too much gossip. It was the usual small town with nothing else to do but talk bad about others: Shintō. Tsu sighed, attempting to clear her mind as she sat cross-legged on a rocky outcrop. She still found herself fidgeting, even with her eyes closed. Then voices wafted up from the village at the base. So much for silence; Tsurara listened in. "What's the Ihōjin up to lately?" "I wish I could tell you. She still isn't married yet. She needs to settle down and become a respectable housewife, give birth to Ruri sons and daughters already. At her age I was married and had three kids...at least marry if she wants to quell those nasty rumors" "Oh? What rumors?" "Well...that she doesn't like men. It's bad enough that her hold of the father tongue is merely adequate, and her calligraphy is so subpar, not to speak of her looking too much like her mother and born out of wedlock. Is she really a Ruri?" Tsurara sighed inwardly as she zoned out, leaving the conversation she had eavesdropped in. Didn't they have houses to clean and duties to attend to? Like washing the laundry or something? Or feeding their grandchildren. Or any other of the seemingly endless domestic tasks her extended family tried drilling into her. She remembered whispers of how it was a "good thing" her mother was "otherwise occupied", that way she'd be a "proper Ruri woman", whatever the hell that meant. Probably something along the lines of docile, bearfoot and pregnant. Plus doing everything that mattered but wasn't appreciated; she'd pass on such a raw deal. Her thoughts returned to her parents. There was no shortage of requests to tackle demons and other threats to society, so her mother and father were almost always on the road. Her stepmother too; Tsu wondered what people thought of that three-way. None of them were married to each other either; she could see the indignant faces of the old timers now. Envisioning their comical fury was enough for Tsu to crack a ghostly smile. However, that smile would fade as she recalled why she was on this mountain in the first place. Many of the superstitious "old-timers" were afraid of her, and passed that fear onto the incoming crop of middle-edged to young elders. They saw her affinity for ice and cold as a child disconcerting. They ultimatelyforced her into the onmyōji training regiment after she froze a lake in the middle of the summer; it didn't matter that she had done it so her brother, sister, some friends, and herself could skate together. No, it was decried as unnatural and an "abomination". Without her mother and father there to defend her, she had no choice but to go with the program. Tsurara snorted. She hated this town; the woman couldn't see why her father loved it so much; sure the cherry blossoms blooming was nice and the natural landscape breathtaking, but it didn't hold her interest. Not when the valley contained so much poison. Her thoughts continued to drift, this time settling on other stories she heard. One spoke of a firebrand who lived here decades ago before giving the town and its people the middle finger. Only once did she hear the name spoken: Amatsu Ruri. A mover and a shaker who had similarly unnerving powers, though her's revolved around dimensions. There were many days when Tsurara wished she was as fearless as that woman, ready to pack it up and head into the unknown alone. Yet, every time she felt ready to close up shop and head out, an image of her father's disappointed expression would pop into her mind. Followed closely by the younger twin siblings she had. It was easier for them; while there were murmurs about their birth out f wedlock, they shared the black-brunette traits of the Ruri clan. More importantly, both of their parents (her father and stepmother) were Ruri, with no "unholy abilities". So the clan found it in their heart to be a little more forgiving. Tsu groaned, leaning back as she laid down. So much for meditating. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps, taking the stairs deviating from the general path two at a time. She also heard a stumble, a bit of cursing, followed by someone brushing themselves off. Tsu opened a lazy eye. "RARA. RARA GUESS WHAT? MOM AND DAD ARE BACK!" a brunette woman said, rounding the corner with reckless speed. Her voice echoed through the valley and across the mountain face. She tumbled to a stop next to Tsurara before pulling her up. "And your point is Ari?" "They brought company!!! They're all super powerful too! Apparently they're sisters?" Tai continued in earnest, starting to drag a protesting Tsu along. "And...why did you feel need to bring me along?" "Because one of them is our auntie!!" Tsurara froze, Akari stopping with her. Her thoughts were overtaken by numerous stories. A kind teenager who doted on her little brother, reliable to a fault. She remembered some elders bemoaning the disappearance of this figure, believing her to have been a model "Ruri woman" perfect for marrying one of their sons. It was gradually assumed that she had died, when Tsurara's father returned to the village without her..what was her name?? A....A....Ao.....Aoji? No..that wasn't quite right. It wasn't good enough. Then it clicked. Aojiro. Aojiro Ruri. Intelligent, generous, devoted, beautiful. A fine specimen as far as the elders of Tsu's clan was concerned. Some claimed to regret "not confining her to this space" after her and Kenshin's parents untimely passing. As if she was some prize mare; Tsu's nose wrinkled in disgust. Tsu found it interesting just how quickly they fell into denial, however. The story of Aojiro didn't end there, even though many believed her dead. They even held a funeral and burial. What they were burying Tsurara had no idea of at the time. Still didn't if she was being honest. But she grasped other things even then; the She-Devil...Susanoo...Black Widow. All epithets or alias, but all pointing to a powerful figure. Others assumed Aojiro died or feigned ignorance, but Tsu's father knew better. And now here he was...returning with the deceased. Was it true? Tsu remembered pinning her hope on it being the case, that her dad wasn't a madman chasing a monster who he believed was his sister. All they had were a bunch of names and stories that both riveted and horrified Tsurara. "Nee-chan??" Tsu shook her head to clear it. "Just...thinking Akari." "Well, you can think later!! Come on!" With that, Aka towed her sibling down the mountain, moving at breakneck speed. Tsu didn't try to tell her sister to slow down, expecting her to only go faster. She still couldn't help but be worried that her hopes were too high. What her sister had made a mistake? What if it wasn't their aunt but some random visitor and their cohort? None of the trio had met their father's older sister; the last time he had seen her himself he was still a preteen. That was almost what, forty, fifty years ago? People change in big gaps like that. Nonetheless, this storm within was masked by a stoic, empty expression. Mercifully, her sister's reckless abandon meant they reached the bottom of the mountain quickly. They would spill out into the back of the town, Tsu tucking and rolling to her feet while Mede continued on, unable to stop her momentum. "Where are they?" Tsu asked, throwing the question at Ari's back. She saw the usual townspeople milling about, a few whispering while throwing knowing glances at her. Another inward sigh followed. She suspected it would be the usual comments plus the new topic of the week: her marriageability. "They're this way!!" Ari replied over her shoulders, nearly running into a cart before spinning out of the way. She grinned at the irritated owner before running down a street, headed towards the main entrance of the village. Tsurara sped up in an effort to keep up with her sister, cutting down another street that would head the same direction before slowing down. What if it was true? The mysterious Aojiro Ruri, who was beloved and held up as the ideal wife and Ruri woman, had returned. Then there were the unsavory rumors, of a monster by the surname of Bonez, of a teenage girl who slaughtered guilds in her personal crusade. Tsu shook her head, again feeling like she was overthinking all of this. Better to go see and decide for herself. With that, she picked up the pace, running down the last stretch of road which poured out into the entryway of the village. Tsurara would take the last bit at a walk, focusing first on the figures she knew. Her mother was there, her glacial blue eyes warming when she spotted her daughter; a smile and wave would soon follow. Her father was there too, engaged in a discussion with her younger brother Kenja about who knows what. Medetai stood, buzzing with impatience while Tsu's stepmother told her to wait. However, it was the three people who stood at the center who caught Tsurara's attention. A silver haired woman as animated as Medetai, unique for her mask as she chatted with a tall, rather scantly dressed brunette with a relaxed violet gaze. Then there was her; everything else fell away as Tsurara zoomed in on the last woman. Blue-gray eyes reminiscent of the eye of a hurricane. Black hair the color of ink fell past her shoulders and down to her waist, framing a heart shaped face with creamy, unblemished skin. Though donning a lab coat, a dress the color midnight hugged her form. A in full bloom. Tsurara couldn't help the envy that knotted her stomach. She had no doubt she was fluent in her mother tongue, perfect at calligraphy, a poet, a painter, and could do flawlessly what every Ruri woman was expected to do. Was she the one? The way the group fell silent as she walked forward told Tsurara yes. She stood, gaze cold and defiant as the figure closed the gap between them. "So you're it." Aojiro smiled before taking the young woman's face in her hands. She could feel the cold emanating from figure "Perhaps. And you must be my niece. What's your name dear child?" "Tsurara. Tsurara Ruri," Tsu said slowly. She hadn't expected the face-grab, but there was something almost...reassuring about the woman's touch. This only added to her irritation, though she did her best to hide it. "Yours?" "Aojiro Ruri. Though you could say that's my original name." Her hands would drop from Rara's face, pulling the girl into a hug. "Your life has its difficulties, doesn't it.." This time, surprise did color the young woman's expression. It had been a while since she had a hug like this. "And?" she asked, attempting to recover her earlier cool. Tsurara hadn't said anything about her past, nor the less than pleasant aspects of living here. "I wouldn't be a good aunt if I didn't attempt to fix that. We'll talk later." She let go of Tsurara, before placing a kiss on the woman's forehead, a whisper and spark playing across. A promise. She straightened. "But first, I need to see just how much this place has changed since I was gone!" Rara noticed she didn't say "my home". Looking at her father, she noticed that he picked up on this too. Unable to contain herself any longer, Akari would grab her aunt by the hand. "IT'S TIME FOR A TOUR." She would lead the woman quickly away, leaving Tsurara no choice but to follow hurriedly, wanting to rescue her aunt for her baby sister's usual shenanigans and talk more. Her mother fell into step beside Tsurara as the woman ran to catch them. "How are you holding up?" she asked, concern present. Sigrun was well aware of the less than pleasant reception her daughter dealt with on a daily basis, but remained undecided on how to go about things. After all, what could she do? Taking Tsu on missions with them was out of the question; Sigrun lacked standing in the Ruri Clan as unmarried and an outsider. "Come on...is that all you can think of? Stop being a wimp and get your act together; such a limp noodle," a voice in her head complained. Kaldr. Sigrun was saved from a retort by her daughter's response. "About as well as usual. Oh, they added a new topic: marriage. Rumor has it I'm getting up there in age and that I'm shirking 'my duty to marry and birth Ruri children'. Bleh. Otherwise, it's the same old rumors."